A/N: Hello! Formerly Kagaminelover657 here and welcome back to Her Deadly Thorns. Managed to get this next update out quicker than I thought I would. Before I let you get into the next chapter, though, there are two things I need to address.

Firstly, thank you so much to those who have been reviewing and reading this story. I know I don't update this as frequently as I used to, and I know the fandom isn't as active as it was in the past, but it's nice to see that there are still people interested in this story despite the focus mainly being on my OC and less on the canon characters. And that a lot of you seem to think I'm portraying the cat fairly well, because... he's usually hard to write for. As always, your continued support is greatly appreciated.

And secondly, to those of you who haven't seen the updates on my profile, you may have noticed that I've made changes to my username and the photos used here and on my profile. This, unfortunately, is due to me becoming a victim of trolling over the past month or so, as you guys can probably see from the reviews section of this fanfic and my other ones. A troll (whose name I won't mention because I am sick of their antics at this point) with a lot of alt accounts has decided to spam my reviews and harass me in other ways, resulting in me locking down my account as much as I can. I've emailed the admins multiple times to get the reviews removed, but I doubt they're gonna do anything soon, and I refuse to delete and reupload this fic just to get rid of them, especially because I know this won't be the last time the troll decides to strike.

So, after a bit of thinking, I've decided to cross-post my fanfics onto AO3. This doesn't mean I'm leaving this site. I'll be continuing updates here as usual. But I'm letting you know because a) you're better off staying away from the reviews section in the meantime, and b) because the uploads to AO3 mean I'll be going back through this fic and editing past chapters for formatting amongst other things, which will also be updated here. I have already done this for the first two chapters, with three soon following after this update, but you can keep track of updates on both sites using the active updates section of my profile.

That being said, I hope you enjoy the next chapter. I don't know if any of you have guessed that a certain demon will be making their appearance from last chapter, but hopefully I did them as much justice as I did the cat using the manga for reference.

Chapter 22: Broken Bird

While waiting for the cat to return from wherever he had disappeared off to, I did my best to tend to Anthony's wound as much as I could, even as the surrounding area gradually grew brighter with the arrival of the morning sun. I couldn't wrap it up with the bandages without disinfectant, but that didn't stop me from using some of the bandages to cut off the blood flow to the wound in attempt to slow the bleeding and buy the demon more time (while also keeping the wound covered temporarily to avoid further infection). From the little I'd observed of Anthony's wound, though, he was very lucky. The bullet released from the rifle had wedged itself into the right side of the lower part of his shin, and while it had gone deep enough to cause terrible bleeding, its awkward trajectory had kept it closer to the surface of the skin. This wasn't surprising, seeing as Aiden had fired the rifle by accident, likely while the two boys were wrestling with the loaded weapon. Still, it meant that Anthony wouldn't have died from the bullet itself if I'd left him in the clearing, but rather the blood loss that followed.

After ensuring Anthony's wound was temporarily taken care of and that he'd be fine for the time being, I then took it upon myself to deal with the bloodied sack I'd collected from the clearing while the cat was absent (and keeping the spare bandages remaining in the pocket of my cardigan for safe keeping). After all, I didn't need that wretched demon mocking me for the empathy I was about to show towards a deceased animal. Before that, though, I took the liberty of emptying the hunting rifle of its remaining rounds, tipping the weapon's ammunition into the palm of my empty hand while heading back inside the Witch's House, my destination being the dining room.

'I'd better dispose of this. We don't need any more preventable accidents and injuries.'

I needed to search for a shovel to bury the sack with anyway, and while I could have simply used my hands if the spot I did find contained soft dirt, it saved me having to venture inside a second time to clean my hands before handling Anthony's wound. I didn't know what the demon's acquaintance was going to advise me to do, and I couldn't risk making the boy's wound any worse than it currently was. So, it was better to exercise caution.

On the way there, however, I glanced over the rifle resting across both of my palms, my brow furrowing in thought at the recollection of my glimpse of Viola dashing back towards the house earlier. Hadn't she implied that her cause of death was because her father had shot her? And hadn't she mentioned to me before that he was a hunter by trade?

'Huh. I wonder if the reason she was outside in the first place was because she heard the gun shots and felt inclined to investigate. She is very sensitive about her wounds, and I can understand if someone her age would have been traumatised by something like that…'

It did also make me wonder, in that case, if Peter had been disturbed by the noises too. Although if that were true, wouldn't he have come to investigate as well?

It wasn't worth dwelling on.

When I entered the dining room, I was met with silence, empty chairs and dim lighting. The souls that usually haunted this room didn't appear to be around at the moment, which was preferable. I'd rather not have an audience for the act I was about to accomplish.

I rounded the table and came to a stop by the wooden fireplace placed along the far wall, currently unlit inside of it yet being illuminated by the two lit candles that sat atop it an equal distance apart. I stood there silently for a moment and recalled the demon's parting words to me, my grip on the rifle tightening a bit between my fingers.

"You didn't think you were the only witch employed under a demon, did you?"

'I shouldn't be surprised after everything I've seen under that fleabag, and yet I can't help being that way.' Moving the rifle to my right palm and holding it in a similar fashion to a walking stick, I tossed the emptied ammunition onto the stacked logs already in the fireplace, briefly hearing them clatter as they disappeared between the gaps of the chopped wood. 'To think, there are more places like this out there somewhere. Just random demons luring unsuspecting and gullible humans into killing their own kind with the promise of magic, immortality, and shelter, all so they can eat. It's nuts.'

I placed the rifle on top of the stacked logs and went to reach for the lit candle on my left, only to pause my right hand the moment I stretched it into my view line.

'But then again… I suppose they're no different to the Demon Triad, are they? Sacrificing a person's humanity so they can become a monster who can live forever. Only depraved people would want that.' My brow furrowed as I tilted my palm closer to my face. 'Although now that I think about it… didn't the cat tell me that being a witch of this house meant I was granted immortality so long as our pact stayed intact?'

I remembered during my first days within the Witch's House that the demon had attempted to give me a 'rundown' of the benefits and disadvantages I had as the newly appointed witch, and while I hadn't really cared for a lot of the things he'd said, two of the things included which I felt was something I needed more expansion on was 'immortality' and a 'despair-induced death'.

"I don't get it," I'd asked. "How can I have the capability to live forever because of the house's magic, yet still die as a result of despair?"

"You could consider it a catch," Cat answered with the swish of his tail. "So long as our pact stays unbroken, my witch can live for as long as she desires and be resurrected to the last physical state her body was in."

I winced and gripped a hand lightly round my throat with a brief shudder, naturally disturbed by the last thing he'd said. But then I frowned once I'd properly processed his words.

"Wait… 'As long as she desires'? What does that mean?"

"C'mon, Emilia! You're a smart kid! The magic protects you for as long as you want to stay alive. But if you ever change your mind…" The cat's eyes lit up with a mischievous glint as he'd tilted his head at me, exposing his fang-like teeth in a wide and eerie grin. "… then the person or thing that causes you despair will end it all for you. You know what I'm trying to say, don't ya?"

And, of course, I did.

'The only time a witch can die is if she chooses to give in to the ones who have made her life miserable.'

My eyes focused intently on the flickering flame of the candle just within my reach as I finally prompted myself to grab its stick and pull it toward myself. The image of my first encounter with the crispy burnt souls of the former inhabitants of my home village started to dance round my head. As loath as I was to admit it, even I couldn't ignore how shaken I'd been seeing the aftermath of an incident I had inadvertently caused, especially to the point where I'd actually considered giving up everything.

'Back then, when I encountered the scorched souls of those wretched villagers, I wonder if I would have died if I hadn't changed my resolve, because of how seeing them affected my thoughts. Technically, Adam Druitt is the source of my despair. But those villagers were his puppets. It would also explain why the demon never told me about them in the first place…'

Personality-wise, I highly suspected that I'd been a pain in the cat's rear since I'd arrived at the house, and it wasn't just because of recent events exposing his slowly grating patience with me. According to him, I was a little older than his previous witches and had more experience of the world around me than they'd had, despite the sheltered life I'd lived under my mother and father. I wasn't as naïve as they had been, nor was I as gullible. I was perceptive and prepared to question a lot, while having the guts to put my foot down to do what I wanted and not what the demon or the house wanted. The cat only seemed to be interested in me because of my capabilities, as the house had even expressed to me at one point. At this point, it only seemed logical that it wanted to see just how far my capabilities were going to go.

'Either that or it's holding out to see if it can break me. But then again...'

The demon's words to me last night sprung to the forefront of my mind as my eyes remained locked on the burning wick clutched in my hand.

"From the moment you came here, I've sensed the conflict inside of you. You're a powerful and clever kid, but your emotions cloud your judgement."

Looking back on his words now, it did make me question if, perhaps, the cat had purposely set me up to wander into those souls as a form of a 'wake-up call'. He had the ability to use his magic to read my heart after all, a fact I sometimes forgot because of how often he complained about me being 'unreadable'. Not to mention I knew how crafty and manipulative he could be, always knowing exactly what to do and say in certain situations to rile me up or push me down a certain path. The demon was an intelligent being who knew how the human mind worked and always managed to stay a few steps ahead of me, even more so than Adam. This possibility wasn't that farfetched now that I'd given it a bit of pondering and reflection.

'Tch!' I clicked my tongue and tightened my grip on the candle until my knuckles flushed a ghostly white. 'I wouldn't have put it past the furball to try a dirty tactic like that…'

Either way, whatever the reasons were for the events to have unfolded to get me to this point, I knew I was going to be in for a headache when he eventually returned. And besides…

'It's not like I need to worry. I don't plan on staying in this house long enough for either the immortality to take effect or to die a despair-induced death.'

"Emilia?"

"Ah!"

Viola's timid voice sounding from behind caused me to cry out and spin round towards the left door of the dining room, my body recoiling instinctively with the candle still tightly gripped in my palm. The little blonde spirit was lingering in the doorway to the dining room with her hands clasped behind her back, her visible green eye locked onto the unlit fireplace.

"Is everything…?" Viola trailed off after a few seconds, her lone eye widening and her shoulders stiffening.

I was quick to deduce she'd seen the empty rifle placed atop the logs, prompting me to raise my other palm upon catching the glassy look that overtook her gaze.

'Drat. Of course that was the expected reaction.'

"It's okay," I began gently, pointing towards the lit candle I was still holding. "I'm just disposing of it."

That seemed to be enough for Viola to release a small breath of relief and relax her shoulders instantly, which made me internally sigh out of relief to boot. She still trusted me, even despite everything she now knew about me.

"Oh, good! Sorry. It's just that…"

When she trailed off again, I shook my head to dissuade from saying anything more. She didn't need to explain herself.

"You don't have to explain yourself. I get it." I faced the fireplace again and crouched before it, reaching out the flame of the candle towards the logs. "Not nice to lay eyes upon a weapon that's likely similar to the one that killed you, right?"

"Right," Viola responded quietly, a hint of a croak in her voice.

I pulled the candle away and stood the second the logs ignited and became engulfed in a wave of fire, returning the candle to its rightful place and stepping a couple of steps backwards while observing the rifle get swallowed by crackling flames of orange and yellow. Viola's boots eventually sounded softly against the carpeted floor, slowly approaching me from around the table as she went ahead to speak up again.

"Was that the rifle that hurt Anthony?"

"Uh-huh," I answered immediately without breaking my gaze from the fireplace, not at all fazed by Viola saying the kid's name. She and him came from the same village, after all. I knew from experience that in communities like that, everybody knows who you are.

"Why are you burning it?" Viola asked once she'd reached my right side and followed my gaze.

"Accident prevention." I narrowed my eyes. "He's one of Peter's bullies. Can't have him attempting to hurt me or Peter with that thing." I relaxed my expression at remembering Peter, prompting me to look at Viola with a furrowed brow. "How is Peter doing, by the way?"

"… I don't know," Viola said after a slight pause, her lone eye drooping and her head lowering towards the floor. "He was still sleeping when I was woken by the gunshots. But I left the room rather quickly when they first started sounding, so I'm not sure if he heard anything after that…"

I sighed heavily and ran my fingers through my fringe, even though, in truth, I hadn't expected Viola to give me anything. In the least, however, I was glad she was speaking to me normally. She appeared to be acting as if the night before never happened and was continuing to treat me as she normally would. That's all I wished for her and Peter to do.

"Well, let's hope he hasn't then. It's better he's told about the situation once everything has cooled down." I brought my hand away from my head to rub at my arm, quietly swallowing back the lump that had started to form in my throat. "Peter's got enough on his plate without Anthony adding to it…"

Within my peripheral vision I saw Viola look at me with a furrowed brow and tilted head, bringing her hands to fiddle with her fingers against the front of her pinafore when she spoke up in a quiet mutter.

"What are you going to do about Anthony?"

An expected question. I waited several seconds before giving an answer.

"I'm not sure yet." I turned my back to the fireplace and made to leave the dining room the same way I'd come in, with Viola following close to my heels. "But my first and main priority is making sure his wound is treated and that he's given somewhere safe in the house to recover. What he does from there is none of my business." I paused before turning to Viola with the ghost of a smile. "Which reminds me: thanks for the bandages. They were a big help."

The moment Viola came to an immediate stop with a wide blink, I was quick to copy her, my smile growing more visible at the faint pink flush that overtook her cheeks highlighted in the dimly lit room. Look who was embarrassed because they weren't as discreet as they thought they were!

Viola's hands flew to her cheeks to try to cover her embarrassment, her mouth falling open like she wanted to say something, with no words coming out. I chuckled at the brief silence that fell between us and looked away, my smile remaining for the moment.

"You don't need to say anything. But you should probably work on your stealth."

I resumed my walk and opened the door to step out into the corridor. It took several seconds before I heard Viola's boots softly jogging after me, eventually slowing down once she'd matched my pace. I hadn't expected her to follow me, but it worked out nicely for me.

"Say, Viola?" I said as I purposely slowed my stride to put myself beside her. "How much of my conversation with the demon did you hear before you ran back inside?"

Viola's brows raised at the question with a wide blink, her hand instinctively reaching over to grip at her other elbow. "Enough to know that the demon left to find its… acquaintance." She hissed the last part, only to quickly clear her throat and continue like she hadn't just done that. "Why do you ask?"

That reaction was more than enough to tell me that my gut had been right: Viola did know something about the demon's 'acquaintance'.

'Not that I'm too surprised. She was once in the body of a one-hundred-year-old-something witch. Compared to the other souls linger in this place, she's likely more informed on a lot of things.'

"There was something I wanted to ask regarding this 'acquaintance' and about Anthony. But before that…" I trailed off for a moment out of hesitation, scratching my cheek with a finger once I could bring myself to make eye contact. "Do you know where I can find a shovel?"

The question caused Viola to tilt her head to the side as we entered the foyer of the house, her lone eye narrowing a little out of suspicion. The sight caused me to chuckle a bit and let a smile slip, just because I could probably guess what she was mentally picturing in her head.

"What do you need a shovel for?" she eventually asked, prompting me to come to a stop alongside her and widen my smile.

"Just need to put something to peaceful rest."

My answer didn't change the look on her face, and despite my attempts to stop myself from laughing by biting the inside of my mouth, I ended up releasing a loud one which my hands instantly muffled, leaving Viola blinking widely at my reaction.

"What's so funny?"

I didn't answer her at first, instead taking this moment to reflect on my terrible attempt at a joke. Three months ago, I never would have found myself laughing at something that sounded so morbid. Yet I had long since suspected that grief had warped my once innocent and pure view of the world, along with my sense of humour.

Viewing death in a humorous light… Perhaps this was my way of coping with my now lonely and empty reality.

"Nothing. Your reaction just caught me off guard."

Following some useful directions from Viola, I found a rusted shovel amongst other random items the former witch had apparently stashed away in one of the many rooms of the house. It hadn't occurred to me until this very moment (outside of when I had to gather supplies for Peter) just how much of a hoarder Ellen had been, along with giving me an idea as to how many deaths she'd caused over her century-long reign of the house. Had she kept all these items from her victims as trophies? Did she keep them simply because she didn't know what to do with them? I didn't know, and apparently neither did Viola when I asked her. But considering the demon had the capability to give her just about anything she'd probably want with this house, I know for a fact she didn't keep these objects in case they came in handy later.

With the shovel located, I headed back outside to the front of the house with the spirit of Viola still following me along. Before heading inside, I'd moved the sack to a nearby tree within the house's perimeter where I planned to bury it. So, once I'd checked on the still unconscious Anthony (whose condition had remained the same as when I'd last left him), I went about using the shovel to dig a fairly deep hole, which I lightly nudged the sack into with the shovel's blade, and then quickly filled it up again with large scoops of dirt I'd piled beside it. All the while Viola watched from where she was crouched close to the hole's edge, peering inside with her arms resting within the folds of her skirt covering her thighs.

"I understand now," Viola said after I'd finished explaining the reasoning behind my current actions, observing me complete my task with the last scoop of dirt filling in the last gap. "I think I remember you mentioning 'proper burials' to me before. Though I had no idea animals could turn into Ekimmu too."

"Anything alive and with a soul has the capability to come back if they're disrespected in death." I gave the disturbed soil a pat with the shovel to make sure it was hardened enough not to cave in, eventually huffing and moving to wedge the shovel into the soft ground close to the tree's roots. "I mean, this house is proof enough of that, isn't it?"

I saw Viola's lone eye droop when she nodded in agreement, her response barely above a whisper. "As I learnt the hard way…"

I stepped round the newly made grave and sat beside Viola on the grass with my legs crossed. She soon followed suit and tilted back to sit properly and copy my actions, except choosing to stretch her legs out and keep her hands atop her skirt.

"So then, regarding Anthony…" I started after a brief round of silence, my eyes trailing towards where said boy was still lying next to the tree stump. His breathing appeared to be calmer and steadier now, or so I thought based on the fact he wasn't gasping for air anymore and his chest's movements had slowed. "Is there anything you can tell me about him that would explain why Aiden decided to let him bleed to death over a gun?"

Viola didn't answer me immediately, appearing to be focusing her gaze on the ground with her brow furrowed in thought. Though it was only for several seconds.

"I didn't know the Taylors personally. But from the little I can remember, it was just the four of them: a mother, a father and the twins. Aiden's the older one, I think."

"Twins…" I muttered with a frown as I recalled seeing the two together in the clearing earlier. "I had an inkling they were related somehow based off their looks and the way they kept talking about a 'Pops'. But I thought they were just brothers."

'And his surname is 'Taylor', huh…?'

Viola brought her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms round her knees at the gentle and chilly breeze that blew between us, hugging her legs as close to her body as she could with the slow whipping of her braids against the wind.

"Their father comes from a family of tailors, but their mother handles that work. Their father chooses to hunt for extra money and food."

"Which explains the rifle," I commented with a sigh, causing my frown to deepen as I cupped my cheek with a hand. "But what about Aiden's relationship with Anthony? Do you know anything about that?"

Viola shook her head and rested her chin on her knees. "I was never friends with either Anthony or Aiden and I rarely saw them interact. You might be better off asking Peter."

I closed my eyes at this. "Yeah. I had a feeling I'd have to… Still, thanks. That information was helpful."

I opened an eye to see Viola offer me a small smile and a nod from where her head was awkwardly tilted on its side to look directly at me, only to close it again when she responded. "I'm glad it was."

'Although, based off their earlier interactions, Anthony sounded and acted very caring and responsible towards Aiden, but his brother never reciprocated that. He was rude and reckless, not to mention downright selfish. Aiden was definitely acting like he was when I first saw him that day. But Anthony's behaviour was a little conflicting to his initial behaviour towards Peter. It could be nothing, yet it's something I'd better take note of.'

"And the cat's acquaintance…" I continued after a moment of silence. "Are they another demon I need to be wary of?"

For the most part, I was joking; although it was a natural assumption I was prepared to get a 'yes' to. That didn't stop me from being shocked, though, when Viola immediately answered me with a serious tone.

"Yes."

My head whipped towards her with a wide blink. "Wait, seriously?"

Viola nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but she was quickly interrupted by loud cawing from above us.

"Hey now! That's not very nice!" A thick, ear-piercing male voice said in the direction of where Anthony was, prompting Viola and I to turn to the crow lowering itself onto the tree stump with flinches and eye twitches. It was clutching a tiny sack in its beak by thin string. "You're not giving me a good first impression!"

I saw Viola's eye droop with an exasperated huff, not saying anything in response to the talking crow. But her reaction was all the confirmation I needed to know this creature was the one the cat had sought for, outside of the fact it was another talking animal.

"You must be the 'old acquaintance' I was told about," I eventually stated upon standing and approaching the crow, dusting off my skirt and tights of any dirt as I went.

"And you must be the new witch driving the black cat up the wall!" he chirpily replied in kind, tilting his head to the side and giving me a momentary look up and down with his beady eyes. "Nice to finally meet ya!"

I rolled my eyes at the 'greeting', hearing the rustling of the grass behind me. It sounded like Viola was coming over to join us based on the crunching beneath her approaching footsteps.

"You don't mean that."

"How blunt!" The crow bent forward and stretched his wings out to glance over his shoulder, where I could see the cat slowly approaching us from the direction of the house. "She sounds just like your last witch!"

I felt my nostrils flare at the comment, yet I did the wise thing in pressing my lips together to prevent a scathing comment from slipping past them. That didn't stop the cat from rushing to my defence like a tiny knight in black and fluffy armour.

"Watch your tongue!" he hissed and came right up to my legs, proceeding to rub his side against my shins and smile up at me with the gentle swish of his tail. "She doesn't like being compared to her predecessors! It's a touchy subject."

The crow cackled and lifted his head back as he tucked his wings into his sides again, prompting me to close an eye and stick a finger in my ear; his voice was a horrible and grating noise.

"Getting overprotective again, eh? Don't tell me you're getting close to this one too!"

The cat hunched his back and dug his claws into the hardened dirt in a wide stance, causing the fur on his body to stand up on end with a loud and saliva-spitting hiss.

"Knock it off!"

I flinched a bit at the cold chill I sensed lingering beside me, quickly realising without looking that it was probably Viola sticking close to my side. A small glance to the side confirmed this, with Viola keeping her hands clasped together against her pinafore while silently observing my interactions with the two demons. She seemed to be wary of them, not that I could blame her.

I, on the other hand, found myself smirking at the interaction, mostly because this was the first time I'd witnessed the black cat get so defensive.

'At least that proves these two have known each other for a long time…'

"Do all you demons look like animals?" I eventually asked to change the topic, glancing towards the black cat at seeing him relax his stance and go quiet. "I'm starting to see a common theme here, not just referring to colour, of course…"

Although, I'll admit, it was certainly a strange coincidence that both demons were inhabiting the bodies of animals that had black fur and feathers.

"Nah!" The crow answered with the ruffle of his feathers, dropping the sack onto the tree stump. "These are just the bodies we prefer to have as hosts."

"Prefer…?" I muttered, keeping my gaze locked with the black cat as he closed his eyes and gave me a teeth-bearing grin.

'So, the cat has the capability to choose any body to possess. Why does that sound so terrifying?'

"But look at you: showing an interest in our kind!" The crow remarked as he walked to the edge of the tree stump to get closer to Anthony. "You're a lot more curious than the last witch, ain'tcha?"

"Only because I know better than to trust the words of talking animals at face value," I replied with a scowl. "Especially ones who, according to the bible, represent both the good and bad traits of humankind, along with sins and evil in general."

I heard a snigger leave the cat, but I chose to ignore it. The crow, on the other hand, shook his head and briefly closed his eyes.

"Yikes! Sharp tongue and mind you've got there!"

"I warned you," the cat teased. "She's a sharp one."

The crow snorted and rolled his eyes. "Seems like a waste of a witch to me."

"If you saw what she could do, you'd take that back."

"Is that why you choose to put up with 'er?"

Cat only growled in response, but he didn't retaliate verbally otherwise.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I spied Viola leaning in close to my ear with the side of her hand by her mouth.

"Is that actually true?" she asked in a whisper. "The bible thing, I mean."

"Mhm," I answered in a low voice and with a slight nod. "Can't remember where I read it, but apparently in the bible, the crow is recognised as a symbol of sins and evil due to their association with death, while the cat is said to symbolise the best and worst traits of humanity." My eyes drooped with the slump of my shoulders. "Which is why I'm convinced these two being demons in a cat's body and a crow's body wasn't purely down to them liking them…"

I saw Viola shudder beside me and reach a hand to clasp at one of her shoulders. "I agree."

When the crow returned his focus to where the unconscious Anthony still lay, I took that as my cue to end the conversation and step closer to the stump, crouching on Anthony's other side with my gaze fixed warily on the crow all the while. Anthony appeared to be doing okay at the moment, with no outward changes to his breathing pattern or his general appearance. Yet I knew we couldn't waste any more time, and apparently the crow seemed to read my mind with the next thing that left his beak.

"So, the black cat tells me this one was shot."

I nodded and pointed towards where the injury was on his right shin, which prompted the crow to leap off the stump with the gentle flap of his wings and land on Anthony's left knee. Viola remained where she was stood for the time being, her own gaze focused specifically on the cat, who I could see was observing my interactions with the crow demon silently.

"Around here," I said while untying the bandages I'd already put on Anthony's leg, both around the wound and to slow the bleeding. "He was shot once in the shin, but it looks like the bullet stayed close enough to the skin that it avoided hitting anything vital."

The crow released a low whistle while he watched me remove the bandages, with the one wrapped round the wound having spots of blood on it. "And you even used your noggin' to slow the bleeding!" He tilted his head towards the cat. "I take back what I said earlier! She'd have made a fine witch under me if I'd found her first!"

I smirked at catching the cat's eyes narrow within my peripheral vision, removing the last of the bandages away to allow the crow to lean over and get a look at the bullet wedged into Anthony's shin.

'As if having the Demon Triad fight over me wasn't already bad. Never would have thought I'd be a hot topic amongst demons too!'

I discarded the dirty bandages onto the ground for now and shuffled back a little once I was done, giving the crow the necessary room to examine Anthony's wound without being disturbed. He lowered his head close enough to the wound that the tip of his beak almost touched it, his beady eyes narrowing with a quiet hum.

Allowing the crow to go about his business, I decided to focus my gaze on the house for the moment, specifically looking to the lone window on the highest floor which I knew belonged to the bedroom. I still hadn't seen any sign of Peter and I couldn't help wondering if he was okay and if I should go and check on him once Anthony was sorted out. Although the longer I stared at the darkened window, the more I thought I could make out a faint humanoid silhouette lingering in front of the right side—

"Yup! Just as I thought!" The crow's voice pierced through my momentary trance like one of the house's traps throwing a knife through the air, forcing my focus back to the black bird with the shake of my head and a blink. "Kid's wound isn't that serious!"

"Really?" I questioned, prompting the crow to nod and straighten his neck.

"Really. Just gotta remove the bullet, clean the wound, dress it up and he'll be right as rain in a month or two."

"A month?" I repeated breathlessly, gesturing a hand to the wound. "But that bullet is fairly close to the skin and didn't hit anything vital!"

"It's still a pretty deep wound," the crow replied matter-of-factly, prompting me to stay quiet and watch him hop back onto the stump. "Bullet obviously gathered enough speed to dig through the kid's flesh. It ain't gonna clear up just like that, you know!"

My eyes drooped, a reaction that had the cat chuckling lowly. "You should listen to 'im. He knows his stuff."

"Is that so," I replied sarcastically.

The crow collected the sack into his beak and flapped his way over, making me flinch when he hovered over my right shoulder and dropped the sack into my lap. "Apply that once a day and it'll stop the wound getting infected."

"Thanks," I grumbled and took hold of the sack, only to raise a brow at seeing the crow demon shudder, his feathers ruffling and standing on end.

"Yeesh!" The crow blinked at me widely before switching his gaze to the cat. "Does she always do that?"

The cat, Viola and I shared a frown as the former went to respond. "Do what?"

"Give off a spine-tingling chill." The three of us exchanged wide-eyed glances at this, with the crow looking between us once before he shrugged his wings. "I'm guessing not then."

'A spine-tingling chill?'

I wanted to question what he'd meant by that comment, but the crow was already taking off to the sky before I had the chance to open my mouth.

"Pleasure meetin' ya, Emilia! Let the black cat know if you need me again! Until next time!"

I waited until the crow had disappeared beyond the house before turning to the black cat alongside Viola, my brow furrowing as I reached my other hand to grip at my throat with a thick gulp.

"Why did he say that?"

"No idea," Cat answered my question immediately, making his way over and lightly knocking my closest knee with the side of his head. "But I wouldn't worry about it. Just focus on getting that kid inside and bandaged up."

I narrowed my eyes for a few seconds at the cat's response, but after sharing a brief glance with a frowning Viola, I eventually relented with a quiet huff. "Whatever."

Yet as I stood and prepared to move Anthony inside, my mind refused to stop playing the crow demon's words over and over again like a broken record. I'd had a lot of nasty and unsettling things said to me over the course of my life, but that was the first time I'd ever heard something like that, and it made my stomach churn.